Man Killed in Police Involved Shooting, Wife Responds on Facebook
UPPDER DARBY, PA (WTXF)- A woman who lost her husband after a police involved shooting Tuesday night took to Facebook to inform her family and her friends of her husband's passing.
She also took the time to thank the police for how they handled the situation.
Tuesday night, around 7:00 p.m. Upper Darby Police officers responded to an apartment for a call of a suicidal man with a knife.
Upon arrival, officers encountered 54-year-old David Zollo.
That's when police say Zollo approached the responding officers with a knife.
Zollo was ordered to drop the knife by officers, but refused, leading to the use of a taser.
Police say the taser was not enough, and they fired 12 shots at Zollo.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
At a press conference Wednesday morning, Upper Darby Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood commented on the investigation.
He also shared a message he and his officers had received on Facebook.
The message was from Zollo's wife, who went on to explain that he had suffered from mental illness, while also asking for prayers.
In the end, she thanks Superintendent Chitwood and his officers for helping them get through the difficult evening, a doing "what they had to do in order to keep everyone safe."
You can read her full note, below:
"It is with a heavy and broken heart that I write this post. My husband of the last 15 ½ years died last night. Many of you that know him knew that he struggled with mental health issues. He is finally free of all of the demons that have been plaguing him. Please pray for him and our families as we come to grips with this. I would like to thank the Upper Darby Police. Michael J. Chitwood and his officers went above and beyond to help us get through last night. They did what they had to in order to keep everyone safe."
Police said Wednesday that Zollo had no prior criminal record, but did suffer from significant mental illnesses. Zollo had been hospitalized five times since 2004, and Upper Darby Police had previously encountered him.
Superintendent Chitwood called the entire situation a "tragedy."